the netherlands pauses for a day of mourning. it's not the government's role to mourn in the netherlands. this is a very difficult day for the dutch in many ways. >> it really is, and as you said more than half those victims were from the netherlands. something like 192 of the 298. of course, there were lots of victims also from malaysia, from australia, and from many other parts of the world. and you just saw in the pictures that we've seen up there, all the flags of those nations which lost paem at people flying at half mast right now. we've seen a huge transport plane that landed with the majority of the bodies that have already been found and another plane as well, a c 1-30 transport. one of them was a dutch air force plane and the other one is an australian air force plane. on the tarmac there, in this silent tribute because we understand there will not be speeches. this is not a moment even for prayers to be said publicly or any kind of political or other kind of speeches. this apparently will be a silent tribute, just the

the country observing a day of mourning for all the crash victims.round 200 of the almost 300 people on board were dutch. so this is a huge tragedy for the nation. >>> well, of course, the site itself, the people there have been absolutely shaken by what's happened. we talked to some of the villagers in eastern ukraine who have been holding memorial services for the victims. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: we want to testify to the entire world, he says, that we're not terrorists. >> reporter: there are so many political disagreements here, so much blame, everyone is blaming the rebels, the government in kiev, russia, the united states, but one thing that's pretty clear is that villagers who live around here are very traumatized by what happened. ♪ >> that memorial service in eastern ukraine. >>> we're going to leave that news story and move to our other main news, an event in gaza and israel. and the in the last half an hour, a foreign worker has been killed by mortar fire from gaza. police say he was struck in the eshkol region where he was working. we don't have

the prime minister calls this a day of mourning for this entire region. he asks that flags everywhere be flown at half staff. brian. >> miguel almaguer, katy tur before that in amsterdam. thanks to you both. a lot more ahead still. up next we'll go live to richard engel in gaza. a deepening ground invasion tonight amid warnings it's about to get bigger. >>> now to the other major story these past 24 hours, the israeli invasion of gaza intensifying tonight. israel now says its goals in this offensive are limited, but there are growing indications things could quickly escalate. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in gaza tonight. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. this ground offensive has been underway for just about 24 hours now, and based on how israel is positioning its troops and comments from israeli leaders, we could be just seeing the first phase. israel is building up even more troops outside gaza, thousands of reinforcements. and israel's prime minister said today the ground offensive could be significantly expan

a global mourning. this is obviously a day of national mourning in the netherlands. given the huge number of fat sa ta fatalities they have suffered. these are victims all around the world. these are people in death who have truly become global citizens in that sense. >> the decorum of today's service, as they were taken from the aircraft, a military provision, anderson. the last post being played. the words, the method, the music. basically saying to them that you died on the battlefield of another country. you die d in part of a battle i which you had no part, and now you may rest on your journey home. >> there's something about the fact we don't know who exactly is in the caskets at this point that makes everybody stop and feel that they want to pay their respects. that they want to give these people the respect, the dignity, that they deserve. that they had in life. and that they now are, once again, restored to in death. we're going to take -- just an extraordinary, extraordinary moment to witness. >> germans, british, french, south africans, united states, indo

they've been choosing for the most part to be mourning in private. today, sell thenna and her, they lost their son bryce, 20 years old and his girlfriend, 23, they were on board mh 17. she told me that she was horrified by what she is hearing and seeing unfolding around that crash site in eastern ukraine. and she says she just wants the bodies of her son and his girlfriend to be brought back home. >> take care of my son and my daughter. >> who knows where they are? who knows where the bodies are? >> i can do nothing but wait for their bodies. >> do you have any idea where your son's body and his girlfriend is? >> i have no idea. >> man they took it. maybe it is there. maybe in one piece. maybe a thousand pieces. >> no one knows. >> are government officials telling you anything? >> no. they don't know. the only thing we know is from the media. how do they know? the officials don't know. >> they can't give us any idea. >> it's horrible. >> no doubt about it. >> it's impossible to understand the pain of a mother, the shock, the anguish and anger in her

it is a national day of mourning here in the netherlands. the king and queen and the dutch prime minister will be here to lead the country in this national d o mourning along with representatives of other countries affected by this horrific event. and we understand some of the dutch families. but the awful truth is for them that they simply don't know if their relatives' bodies are in those coffins because the formal process of identification has not yet begun here. well, let me just take you through some of the day's main developments. two planes carrying the bodies as we now know have departed from kharkiv in the ukraine and as our journalist kevin bishop who in the field there has tweeted, people in kharkiv showed farewell messages to the victims including kharkiv feels for you. and in addition to that, we have a tweet from our producer here in eindhoven, imelda slattery, showing that people are already laying flowers here, in anticipation of the arrival of those two planes carrying, as we understand, 40 coffins. well, of course, much has

this as the netherlands marks a day of mourning.he first shipment of bodies set to arrive there today. we'll bring you live team coverage of all the angles on this major story. >>> flight suspended the u.s. and europe halting air travel to tel aviv after a rocket from hamas comes dangerously close to the airport. no end in sight. we're live with the very latest. good morning, welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. it's wednesday, july 23rd, 4:00 a.m. in the east. we'd like to welcome all our viewers here in the united states and around the world. up first for us, u.s. officials coming this close, directly blaming russia for the downing of flight 17. here's the very latest on this tragedy malaysia's prime minister charging russian investigators interfering at the crime site. the plane's cockpit found sliced open by a diesel-powered saw. here in the united states, the white house is ratcheting up the rhetoric, insisting it was the russians who created the conditions that led to this disaster. >> we know fo

mourning the victims. special church services are healed in the netherlands of you are watching al jazeera america@ >>> world leaders are getting impatient over the slow recovery of the crash site. phil ittner is in london with more on how they are increasing pressure to get things done. >> european leaders around the country are expressing indignation about what is going on, and the lack of access by expert investigators sitting in kiev, waiting to get out into the east. we heard from the dutch prime minister, saying that the seam from netherlands will go out to the doesn't esque region on monday. we have heard from other regions, speaking of putting forward an editorial in the "sunday times" newspaper talking about further sanctions. it is now coming from a variety of european leaders. we heard from the british, french and germans saying that the e.u. needs to start to formulate the possibility of further harsher sanctions. this incident in david cameron's words may actually be a moment in time that forc

. >> reporter: the world was in mourning today. in the netherlands church bells tolled for the victims, 193 from this country alone. >> we pray especially for the people who died in the recent tragic airplane accident. >> reporter: brooke lost her sister, brother-in-law and 17-year-old nephew. >> it's horrible. must die under these circumstances. >> reporter: more victims were named today. british citizen john allen, a lawyer, was traveling with his wife, sandra, and their three children. robert was flying home to his wife and two young sons. families ripped apart. >> they are my parents. my father, my mother. >> reporter: kevin lost three members of his family. his parents, both chefs, were taking his grandmother back to malaysia. >> my mom always says if we are not here one day, you are going to be a strong man. >> reporter: in australia kristen norris is mourning her father and her niece and two nephews. >> i don't know what's going to happen to the family now. i can't -- i don't know how they're going to do it. it's a horrible,

i was in mourning for most of the day. i couldn't show that because my resignation was very sudden in the afternoon and i was concluding things and signing some letters and orders but when i resigned i was on the senior staff became very suddenly and i simply said to them that i had chosen to resign and i sent a letter to the president and i left the room, turned the meeting of the to staff and went downstairs and got in my car and drove home. by the time i got home might e-mail was blowing up with people extending themselves to me in a wonderful way. was a wonderful day, all loss and said network of support. was a story i wanted to tell about how in washington politics there is a human story behind that. a career story, a personal story of lessons learned and resilience. >> host: what would you have done differently with regard to the t s a conference? do you know anything about it? >> guest: it was planned for a year before i came into office. that was one piece of the data. we know that because the deputy requested an i

a nation in mourning.his is the image of heart break in the netherlands where bitter sweet home coming is unfolding right now. the first bodies from malaysia airlines flight 17 arriving back home on dutch soil. the family of those victims will welcome their return as well as government official and dutch royals. most of the 298 people killed were from netherlands where the flight began its doomed journey. we have cnn correspondents covering every angle of this. the netherlands pauses for a day of mourning. it's not the government's role to mourn in the netherlands. this is a very difficult day for the dutch in many ways. >> it really is, and as you said more than half those victims were from the netherlands. something like 192 of the 298. of course, there were lots of victims also from malaysia, from australia, and from many other parts of the world. and you just saw in the pictures that we've seen up there, all the flags of those

mourning the loss of another volunteer firefighter killed a year after his own brother and neighbors and friends gather to help a community in southwest philadelphia get on its feet fol a tragic fire. and the big story on "action news" is escalating conflict between israel and ha mass. hamas claimed it captured a israel soldier. no details available. the announcement comes on heels of deadly fighting since the conflict ramped up. eight workers retrieve the dead from what was left of onep gaza's most popular neighborhoods, 100 palestinians and 13 israeli soldiers were killed, two held duel citizenship with the u.s.. secretary of state kerry will go to egypt soon top press for sees fire between israel and hamas. >>> now to latest own downing of malaysia flight 17, they asked putin make sure pro russian rebels allow international teams access to the crash site. bodies of 233 of 28 open board were recovered. russian separatetists put them in refrigerated cars and moved them from the site. outrage is growing among the victims' families who say they have no idea if they will get to bury th

families and communities mourn the victims of the tragedy with people from at least ten countries among the dead most of the citizens. more questions than answers r.t. talks to aviation experts to find out what's behind many oddities of the fatal route that brought the malaysian boeing over the war zone east ukraine. while the world in shock over the air crash a deadly military strikes on eastern ukrainian land continue sixteen civilians are being confirmed dead in the city of. welcome thanks for joining us want to get once again you're watching r.t. international. experts from several countries are joining an international probe into the tragic crash of a malaysian passenger jet the wreckage size in eastern ukraine is spread out over several kilometer radius and white cotton markets have been placed where the victims' bodies have been found all two hundred ninety eight people on board were killed among them eighty children. it's believed that the plane was shot down by a missile however the european commission says it is seen no evidence confirming this so far the russian president and

at this hour, some of the victims of flight 17 return home to a nation in mourning. >> as the bodies arrive in the netherlands, the black boxes have arrived in the united kingdom. could they hold clues? and could they bring an end to this blame game? >> good morning to you. i'm michaela pereira. >> i'm john berman. i want to show you right now live pictures again. this is eindhoven in the netherlands th right now. this is the air field where some of the victims of the flight mh-17, disaster, crime, whatever you want to call it, in a very dignified and poignant ceremony that's been going on for some time. we're going to keep our eye on this and watch it throughout the hour. these bodies are being placed in hearses in another town where they will be processed, the bodies will be examined and returned to the families who have been waiting for them now for much too long. >> 192 dutch citizens lost in that downed flight. a nation in mourning, to be sure. >>> other news at this hour, the faa is under pressure after a very controversial decision. in the next few hours, maybe in fact the nex

flags flew at half mast on a national day of mourning. many are still trying to make sense of the disaster. >> is crazy that so many people died for no reason at all. >> over half of the passengers were dutch. one of them worked at a fast food restaurant. her boss says that she loves to sing and dance and she will be sorely missed. >> that is her right there. i will always remember her this way. it is hard to imagine. she left behind a husband, daughter, and two granddaughters. >> she was on her way to indonesia where she was planning to visit her family. now the grim task of identifying the bodies can begin. the process can take months. >> our correspondent has been observing events. what were your impressions of this terribly sad day? >> it is a day of mourning across the netherlands and the ceremony that took place at the airport was an important part of this process. it did give friends and relatives a chance to grieve and perhaps bring a bit of closure to this horrible disaster. i would say it is very sobering and somber occasion, wa

families and communities mourn the victims of the tragedy with people from at least ten countries among the dead more than half of them since. they don't certainly over whether the plane was hit by a missile r.t. hears from aviation experts about the and usual details surrounding flight m h seventeen and why the wrecked over a raging war zone. also this hour while the world's in shock over the year crushed european security monitors and two hundred fifty civilians have been killed in just a month and a half in one single region of eastern ukraine askia apparently escalates its military operation. is just gone ten pm this saturday evening here in the russian capital welcome to r.t. international my name's union o'neil our top story experts from numerous countries are joining an international probe into the tragic crash of a malaysian passenger jet the record site in eastern ukraine is spread over a several kilometer wide radius white cotton markers have been placed where the victims' bodies have been fined all two hundred ninety eight people on board were killed among them eighty childre

families and communities mourn the victims of the tragedy with people from at least ten countries among the dead more than half of them dutch citizens. amid uncertainty over whether the plane was hit by a missile or to hears from aviation experts about the unusual details surrounding flight m.h. seventeen and why it passed directly over old raging war zone. also european security monitors say two hundred fifty civilians have been killed in less than two months in just one region of eastern ukraine as kiev apparently escalates its military operation. in top news and commentary live from moscow this is r t i'm sean thomas glad to have you with us experts from several countries are joining an international probe into the tragic crash of a malaysian passenger jet and the government of the self-proclaimed people's republic of don't yet have just announced that they will guarantee the safety of investigators the wreckage site in eastern ukraine is spread out over a twenty kilometer radius white cotton markers have been placed where the victims' bodies have been found all two hundred ninety ei

so that i will continue to mourn. it's a little bit of sadness but it's not what dominates who i am. i have of the ways i can contribute and i believe in work, so i'm finding other work to do. >> were you first on on the nonprofit with some of your former circles in washington when you've resigned? >> well, my experience was that i had a rather large network i discovered and it broke into three categories but the first was what i call banana bread brigade. they all showed up with banana bread and the wine and the flowers and all the invitations to dinner and some. it was a huge support of loving hug and it was big. and then the second was a group of people who were really angry for me. they were angry at the system, angry about what happened and, of course, how to go until you all about that. i heard that but it allowed me to let go of my own thank you. when you take that on for me, i'll send it to you and that gave me a little bit of space, emotional space. the third thing that i recognize was that the was a small gr

but i still mourn the loss of that job. i always will. it was such an opportunity and i was raised at the generation that was to change the world and i had an opportunity to change government. we launched a number of things than of things and i felt as if i hadn't finished my work. that i will continue to mourn. it's a little bit of sadness, but not what dominates who i am. i have other ways i can contribute and i believe in work. i am finding other of to do. >> were you concerned to knock ottawa senators circles in tennessee since he resigned? >> well, my experience was that i have a rather large network i discovered and it broke into three categories. the first category is what i call the banana bread per day and they all showed up at the banana bread in the wine of flowers and invitations to dinner and so on and it is a huge support and it was big. the second was a group of people who are really angry for me. they were angry at the system. they were angry about what it happened than they had to call and tell me about that. but it allow

over announced today outside one of the city's bars we saw young men and women crying they were mourning the loss of their friends laurence van de graaff and his girlfriend collin who had planned to travel across malaysia a fun five am last night i got a text and i woke up. and i saw it was gone you have this roller coaster going round of different emotions disbelief shock anger sadness. and. you feel horrible and saddam has a population of just around eight hundred thousand people everyone we've spoken to is in shock but because that list of dutch casualties was so high on m.h. seventeen most of the people we've spoken to say they know someone or know someone who knows someone who died on that plane well what i read earlier today it's the same ratio as nine eleven we've compared to the death toll. to the population so i think it's pretty impactful and while relatives and friends of victims digest the news of what's happened the flags are flying at half mast a symbol of a nation in mourning. for the boy. in the. well of attributes have been paid across the world as well i mean you have o

a national day of mourning. people across the netherlands honor the 193 dutch victims of the mh17 air disaster. the bodies of some of them were repatriated today. taking to the streets of paris. the authorities take no chances as a demonstration in support of gaza gets underway here in the french capital. .o reports of unrest 14,500 people are estimated to have taken part. time for a check of the top disney's news stories. markus karlsson is here. we are looking at the prospect of tougher sanctions on russia. >> russian officials say that european sanctions have had limited effect on the russian economy so far. a russian minister was quoted on wednesday saying that the current measures are peanuts in comparison with what took place during soviet times. to be preparing new sanctions over the crisis in ukraine. they will draw up a new list of .easures it is expected to be unveiled on thursday. i spoke to a consultant earlier and asked her what she is expecting on thursday. >> we already know these are not going to

the netherlands is holding a day of mourning this wednesday for the 298 killed in that crash, 193 of whom were dutch. it's intelligence officials say pro-russian rebels shot down the intelligence officials say pro-russian rebels shot down the jet in error. >> it is a very slow and delicate process, removing the bodies from the refrigerated train wagons where they currently are, placing them into new body bags, placing them into wooden coffins, and then sending them on their way to the netherlands. we've seen the dutch investigators, the forensic team, on monday reluctant to hurry the counting process. there is a degree of discrepancy in the counted numbers so far. we are seeing the focus moving away from the crash site currently, given that the majority of the bodies have left the disaster zone. importantly, the black boxes that were to -- that were handed over by the self-proclaimed authorities of the donetsk people's republic on monday evening -- much of the focus will be following the progress of the bodies to the netherlands and the black boxes, which are set to be analyzed in th

i think people here are still mourning this tragedy. they're mourning this loss, but they're really confused by the events on the ground transpiring. we hea in the official days following the crash, he said the netherlands was going to be very careful not to point any if i think -- fingers, that they wanted to establish the facts on the grounds first. he called on vladimir putin to influence events on the ground in the ukraine. listen. >> translator: i am late for this conference because i had a tense telephone conversation with russia's president. he most show to the netherlands and the world he has done what is expected. >> the prime minister was join by the australiian prime minister tony abbott and the german chancellor. the kremlin for its part publishing a statement on its website acknowledging that known conversation, saying that it emphasized the need to help secure unrestricted access to that crash site for international experts. >> very strong words there from the prime minister to reflect what's going on in his country. are t

>>> this hour, people around the world are in shock and mourning as investigators try to find out who shot a malaysian passenger plane out of the sky. cnn is at the crash site. >> we will also look at the lives onboard, from children to renowned aids researchers. >>> and some of the youngest of the conflict in gaza. >> like to welcome our viewers

they will be mourned by their family and friends. they will be mourned by their nation. they will be mourned by the people of the world. they will be mourned by mother earth the dared sent two of her sons into the unknown. in their exploration they stirred the people to feel as one. in their sacrifice they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man. in an chapt days, men looked at stars and saw their an says ancestors in the consolations. others will follow and surly find their way home. man's search will not be denied. but these men were the first and they will remain the foremost in their hearts. for every human being who looks up in at the moon will know there is some corner of the world that is forever man kind. it is quite moving, actually. i would like to also read a little bit from the last seconds of the landing on the moon. columbia was the orbiter and eagle was the little strange-looking creature that looked sort of like a praying mantis with upside down praying mantis is what some people called it to land on the moon. neil and buzz climbed into the eagle and sep

they will be mourned by their families and friends. be mourned by their nation. they will be mourned by the people of the world. mourned by mother earth that sent two of her sons in to the unknown. the exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel one. in their sacrifice, they bind for tightly the brotherhood of man. days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. time, we do much the same. but our heroes are epic men of and blood. man's search will not be denied. the first and will not leave our hearts. of another e corner world that is forever man kind. would like to read a little bit from the last seconds of the landing of the eagle on the moon. orbiter. was the and eagle was the strange looking creature that looked mantis with g upside down praying mantis that some people called it to land on moon. neil and buzz climbed into the eagle and separated from to land. time, collins fired the thruster, a redlich in separate the to craft and give eagle a little more room to maneuver. module the landing ship ted from the mother and we

this is very much a country in mourning. all day, people have been coming here to the airport to lay flowers at a make-shift memorial. just a short while ago, the former u.n. secretary-general coffee an coff-- was here. calling a full independent international investigation into what happened. not far from the airport in a hotel that is where they are taking care of the relatives of the victims of those that were on board mh1737. the hotel covered in security. officials here very concerned about the family members privacy. now, yesterday, we were really traveling all over the country just talking to people. one of the really interesting things that you got a real sense of was not only the diverse members of passengers their on board mh17 but the number of people that have been impacted and affected here in the netherlands. family members and entire communities mourning this loss. we were speaking yesterday to hu twa who lost three members on board the flight. take a listen to what had he to say when he found out about what h

this is a nation in mourning with so many people aboard that flight. set the scene for us where you are. >> reporter: hi, i'm outside schipol airport. the netherlands is mourning. we were driving around the country yesterday. one of the things that struck us was not just the diversity of the passengers that were on board mh17, but also the number of people affected, the families, the friends, entire communities, now struggling to cope with tremendous loss. this photograph was taken and posted it to his facebook account moments before he and his girlfriend boarded mh17 for their summer holiday. he joked, this is what the plane looks like in case it goes missing. a reference to malaysian flight 370. hours later, mh17 disappeared from radar and crashed in eastern ukraine. a photograph of them now sits outside her flower shop. >> we're going to miss her. >> yes. >> reporter: the irony not lost on many here that they are now laying flowers at the shop where they used to buy them. in nearby rotterdam, a similar scene. we're told of the moment he learns three

the mourning progress begins.e'll see you mourning services in israel and tell you what's planned in our area. >>> there's new investigation in the jersey jam investigation. someone new ordered to testify. find out what the scandal is doing to governor christie's approval ratings. we showed people a survey that stacked fios up against comcast. what's it like paying for internet that's rated 6th out of 7 in customer satisfaction? not good. it's not the best. no, that's not fun. look at it this way, you're kind of on top. if i was like this, all day. switch from the bottom to the top and see why millions of satisfied customers have made fios #1. sign up for a verizon fios triple play with a 2-year agreement and get $300 back. plus, a free lg tablet or up to $200 off any tablet from verizon wireless. that's satisfaction. that's powerful. >>> many are calling today a national day of mourning in israel after the three bodies of three teens were found yesterday almost three weeks after they disappeared. it's a story tha

to grieve and mourn. also here, the family of quinn schansman. he was the only american on board mh-17. he had dual dutch and american nationality. his father was here, his family was here. and they simply held each other as the caskets went through those gates, not knowing if quinn was inside one of them. it was incredibly touching to see. this -- hilversum is very much a community mourning this loss, this tragedy, particularly painful for them. they lost three families to this tragedy, plus quinn. i was outside the home of one family earlier this morning, and to see it stand empty with flowers on the doorstep, that family never to return. really, that's when it really hit me that the depth and get scale of this tragedy. and nearby soccer club, one of the little boys who was on board mh-17, his best friend left a note saying "you'll be in our hearts forever". and i was speaking to a local pastor, and he was telling me how people here are confused, and angry. they're shocked. but mostly there's just a sense of deep sadness at this loss. he said o

and it did begin picking up the bodies yesterday, bagging them and taking them off to mourn. so in that sense, we saw some progress. but getting to the evidence of what could have caused the accident is still a major question. >> just explain this their to me. when the european officials arrived, when journalists arrived and they stopped people from getting access to the crash site, how do they justify it? what do they say? >> reporter: well, they think that if they let, they think this is part of the western american controlled sort of, they want to prove that the rebels did it and blame them no matter what. so they don't want them to get to the site. they think they're going to falsify whatever they find. it is pretty chaotic there. you know, you have a bunch of guys. some of them are locals holding automatic weapons. some of them appear to be more trained with more sophisticated weapons. and i think the thing is they're accusing -- they consider them to be completely controlled by the white house. you'll hear them call their prime minister a u.s. appointed prime minister.

and of course, palestinians are also mourning today.ave been more than 625 palestinians killed in this current conflict, many of them civilians. anne-marie? >> all right. alphonso van marsh in jerusalem. thank you. >>> as the investigation of malaysia airlines flight 17 continues, it promises to be a somber day across europe. today is a national day of mourning in the netherlands, where a majority of the 298 victims are from. most of the victims' bodies will arrive there later today. this morning in ukraine, a solemn ceremony as the remains are being loaded on to military cargo planes. they'll be met by grieving families and the dutch king and queen at an air base in the netherlands. and while u.s. intelligence officials have no smoking gun linking russia to the attack, they say russia was responsible for creating the conditions that led to the jet being shot down. susan mcginnis is in washington. susan, good morning. >> reporter: anne-marie, good morning. u.s. intelligence officials still believe russia supplied the missile the rebels

of mourning since 1962.t something that happens every day. of course, there is a lot of anger, but this day was very important. the first coffins coming in, more over the next few days and the bodies back in ukraine are at least in safe territory and they cannot be used as a bargaining chip anymore. so one phase of this process, i think, has almost been finished now and now the next phase stars and yes, there is a lot of anger and this was a crime and people want to make sure that that crime is being resolved, and the dutch will lead the the investigation into this crime and fortunately, there is a lot of international support. so, yes, there's anger, but today it was a day for grief, and i think tomorrow and over the next few days and there's a new phase starting. >> you talk about the next phase and investigation, but beyond that, what do the dutch want to see as you're talking to people there? >> well, there's a lot of talk about our relationship and europe's relationship to russia. the past year was the

nhk world's craig deal reports. >> reporter: israelis have come together to mourn. they have gathered across the country to remember three young lives lost. >> it's terrible and it is heartbreaking to everybody here. >> reporter: everybody had been hoping the 19-year-old, 16-year-old, and the other 16-year-old would be found alive. the boys disappeared in mid-june near hebron in the west bank. the israeli defense forces launched an intense search. they arrested hundreds of palestinians connected with the militant group hamas, which has called for israel's destruction. local residents say at least five palestinians died in the operation. israeli soldiers found the teens' bodies buried beneath rocks in a field. authorities think they were shot soon after being abducted. >> israel mourns three teenagers brutally murdered by the hamas terrorists. >> reporter: prime minister benjamin netanyahu says hamas is responsible and hamas will pay. but officials with the group deny involvement and they say any israeli action would open the gates of hell. at this point it's all jus

the entire country mourning this loss. all morning, as early as 6 a.m., people have been coming here to schipol airport to lay flowers and sign a condolence book at a makeshift memorial just over that way. now, the flights are departing from this airport assist no nor. i just passed by the malaysian airlines check-in desk and there was a pretty long line there. as for the families of the victims, they're being taken care of at a hotel not far from here. the hotel has security here. officials very concerned about the privacy of those families, hala. >> what about the investigation? what about dutch authorities? i mean, i imagine they are as concerned as many people are around the world that it is appearing extremely difficult for investigators to fully access this site. what are you hearing in amsterdam today? >> reporter: that's right. yesterday the dutch foreign minister arrived in kiev. he says that he's there to personally make sure that investigators have unhindered access to that crash site. they're also sending a nat

they arrived to a nation in mourning, the country stunned by the

. >> while the world mourns the loss of 298 lives lost on board malaysia airlines flight 17, no one feelshe pain more than ronald sean man. the toting grandfather of the only american killed in the crash. he recalls the moment the he received the heartbreaking ton call from 19 year old quinn schansman's father. >> he told me that quinn was on the -- on the flight. one of his sons. terrible news of course. >> reporter: quinn was born in fort lee, new jersey torque dutch parents. he lived in the u.s. for five years before moving to holland with his family. quinn was a dual citizen of the united states and the netherlands and studying at the university of amsterdam. the doomed malaysian airlines flight was heading from amsterdam to kuala lumpur when it was shot down by a surface to air missile in eastern ukraine. >> useless. so senseless what happens. there's also fate that you cannot escape. pure fate. >> while quinn and 297 other souls on board weren't able to escape this tragic fate there's little solace for ronald schansman and his family now left to mourn young life cut far too short. >

what are your thoughts on this day of mourning? >> well, this is very sadness, shock, in hilversum, as well, we lost 16 young people, 16 to 18 years old, like quinn shonsman, he is the man with the u.s. passport, and his father lays flowers now here -- well, to welcome the remains of the people which is expecting here within five minutes. a very emotional moment. >> i spoke to quinn's grandfather several days ago. quinn was 19 years old. had his whole life ahead of him. quinn's grandfather had worked in hotels his whole life. quinn talked about perhaps doing that. so many people from your town, i mean, 13 people, that is an extraordinary loss for a town of your size to suffer. >> yes, yes. 85,000 people and it's -- everybody's connected to everybody, and it's because of the football, the soccer clubs and the tennis clubs and also the schools. all these young people went to school -- well, it's a great loss, it's a great loss. >> what will happen -- you said that the first hearses should be arriving within several minutes. what will

ukrainian americans mourned the victims and condemned those responsible for shooting down the blame. they put the blame on one person, vladimir putin. dann cuellar has more. >> listener to us, take your bloody hands off ukraine. they gathered at 19th and parkway under a large banner that read stop putin as terror. they had a picture of putin with devil honors and another looking like hitler and another called osama putin. while there's no evidence directly linking putin and the russian government to the tragedy, they want the world to take action. >> we want our senators and congressmen and president obama take firm steps to punish russia. >> they should send a military mission to ukraine. >> reporter: some lit candles and laid flowers for the victims of mh17. meanwhile, in the archdiocese, they were offering praiser for the victims and a sense of decency for those responsible for such evil. >> as we pray, we pray for the victims, we pray for their conversion, their sense of sensibility and appreciation of life. >> reporter: in the wake of the unspeakable loss, the fast moving develo

the prime minister calls this a day of mourning for this entire region. he asks that flags everywhere be flown at half staff. brian. >> miguel almaguer, katy tur before that in amsterdam. thanks to you both. a lot more ahead still. up next we'll go live to richard engel in gaza. a deepening ground invasion tonight amid warnings it's about to get bigger. invasion tonight amid warnings it's about to get bigger. crestor lowered bad cholesterol in it's a fact. high-risk patients more than lipitor. bad cholesterol... you're going down! yeah! lowering cholesterol is a big deal, especially if you have high cholesterol plus any of these risk factors, because you could be at increased risk for plaque buildup in your arteries over time. so, when diet and exercise aren't enough to lower cholesterol, adding crestor can help. i'm down with crestor! crestor is not right for everyone, like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have mus

. >> you go through all the phases of mourning. at the moment it's just mourning. >> reporter: quinn was on his way to bali to meet his family for summer vacation. instead, they are planning a funeral. >> of course, it's anger you see why it didn't need to be happened. >> reporter: another passenger with american connections, she called the netherlands home but went to school at indiana university and spent a lot of time on the water with the rowing team. >> she was always so positive and willing and hard working. >> carlene just 25 years old. she was studying chemistry. she was on the plane with her boyfriend. jessica, back to you. >> okay, thank you, michelle. we want to show you a candlelight vigil at the international aids conference. some of the passengers onboard that flight were headed to this conference in melbourne, australia. one of them is the former president of the international aids society and a world leader in the fight against that disease. nbc bay area mark matthews at san francisco general, where many in the aids

all the phases of mourning, right now, just mourning. to be happen. it didn't. >> last night a candle light vigil at the international aids conference. a group of passengers on board were flying to a conference in melbourne, australia. this crash greatly impacts the worldwide aids community where more than a hundred passengers of researchers and scientists were on board, a think tank of knowledge now dong. joep lange, former president of the national aids society pioneered getting hiv drugs to the poorer area of the world, fighting the spread of hiv and aids for more than 30 years. his death is viewed as a blow to progress in the fight against hiv. in local news, facing four years in prison, but the 49ers star, smith, got 11 days of community service. he was at the courthouse yesterday and previously pled no contest to drunk driving and weapons charges, but a judge reduced that to a misdemeanor. a judge will serve on a work crew for 11 consecutive mondays, of course, the day he has off from practice with the 49ers and received four years